Furthermore, the spectre seen by John was that of “a great red Dragon” with “ten horns.”471 This corresponds to the Roman or fourth “great” Beast in Daniel’s vision. For that Beast there was “dreadful and terrible and exceedingly strong” with “great iron teeth” and “ten horns.”495
Moreover, John’s Dragon had “seven crowns” upon its seven heads. These seven crowns and heads were probably successive and not contemporaneous. But either way, they clearly identify the beast as the temporal political power corresponding to the “seven mountains” surrounding the ancient city of Rome.
In addition, those “seven crowns” or seven Kings or Kingdoms may also represent the seven successive and heathen ancient World Empires (of which Rome was the then-current one). And again, the “seven Kings” remind one both of the seven successive forms of government of the Roman Empire itself as well as of Rome’s seven chief “Kings” or Emperors during John’s own century in particular, at the time that Apostle received this very vision.496 487 Gen. 3:1-6,13-16; II Cor. 11:3; I Tim. 2:11-15. 488 Job. 1:6 & 2:1. 489 Rev. 12:9; 20:3f; I Jh. 5:19,21; cf. n. 408. 490 Dt. 7:1-8 & Rom. 9:6. 491 Rom. 1:3 & 9:4f. 492 Rev. 12:4,7b,9b cf. nn. 408 & 474 & 481. 493 Cf. nn. 474f & 498-500. 494 Rev. 17:3,8-18; 13:1f cf. Dan. chs. 2 & 7:7f,19 & 9:26f & 11:30.36 to 12:1,11 cf. Mt. 24:15,28. 495 Dan. 7:3,17,19. 496 Rev. 12:3f & 13:1-3 & 17:8-11 cf. Dan. 7:7f (where the 10 minus the 3 yields 7 horns and where the next horn is the 8th). The seven successive Heathen Empires of the Ancient World are: (1) the Ancient Egyptian Empire, 2700 to 1000 B.C. (cf. Gen. 12:10 to Ex. ch. 15 & Is. 52:4); (2) the Ancient Assyrian Empire, 1000-625 B.C. (cf. Isa. 52:4 with II Kgs. 15:19 to Jer. 50:17f);